Little Bears

Gardening tools, scooter tracks and cooperative tower-building give Little Bears a practical, play-led character in its March 2023 account. Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 21 March 2023. The strongest detail is children learning through things they can handle, explore and do together.

Based at The Smile Centre in Warrington, Little Bears accepts children aged 24 to 60 months and has 35 places in total. It operates during term time, making the school-holiday closure an important part of the family childcare plan.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences provide opportunities to practise communication, movement and social skills.

In March 2023, growing was a theme children explored through planting seeds with spades and trowels, painting flowers and shaping coloured dough. These were connected experiences rather than isolated craft tasks. Outdoors, children followed the direction of scooter tracks, while shared tower-building gave them practice in cooperating.

There was a limit to this activity-led approach. In March 2023, staff did not consistently pinpoint what each child needed to learn next, and the intended learning behind activities needed to be clearer across the team. Enjoyment alone was not enough: the next step was making each experience more purposeful for the individual child.

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effective, including signing and cooperation with families and external professionals.

In March 2023, children had close relationships with their key person, and other staff also knew them well. Parents received progress updates, met their child's key person and were given book suggestions connected to current themes. This linked nursery learning with something families could continue at home.

Dolls with spectacles and disability-awareness puppets were among the resources used in March 2023. They brought differences between people into ordinary play. At lunchtime, children practised independence and social skills, with families supplying lunch boxes; however, sugary drinks brought from home weakened the healthy-eating message, and staff needed a clearer understanding of promoting oral health.

Little Bears is at The Smile Centre, Sandy Lane, Warrington, WA2 9BX. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, during term time; it closes for school holidays.

In March 2023, the nursery offered funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated funding position rather than a promise of a funded place today.

• Individual learning. In March 2023, activities needed closer links to each child's next learning steps. At a visit, ask how staff now choose and explain those steps for your child.
• Food and oral health. The March 2023 findings highlighted sugary drinks in lunch boxes and staff understanding of oral hygiene. Healthy-drink habits deserve attention alongside food choices.
• Holiday cover. Term-time operation comes with school-holiday closures. Families needing childcare across the year will need a separate holiday arrangement.

Little Bears suits families seeking term-time childcare for children aged 24 to 60 months. Its March 2023 account combines hands-on play, key-person relationships and communication with parents, balanced by clear development points around individual learning and oral health. The practical fit depends as much on holiday cover as on the nursery day.